Various One Shots and Drabbles
by Gdown94
Summary: Sometimes I come up with various ideas but am too lazy to write a proper story.  So I write drabbles.  I hope you enjoy reading these; I definitely did writing them.  Rated T just to be safe; I don't know where I'll go just yet...  One shots added now!
1. Small

**So... I'm back. Just to let you guys know, I have a few stories in the works right now, but it may be a little before I get around to finish them. In the meantime, I'm going to write a few drabbles every now and then; it's good for the mind (and honestly, quite entertaining). So, here is drabble number 1. I know it's a little short, but it is a drabble... I'll try to make the next ones at least a little longer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the "story". Feel free to review. Actually, I hope you review... **

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><p>SMALL<p>

Tigress sat in her room, fixed in utter and absolute concentration. Shifu had given them the day off, and for the first time in a long while the female Tiger had declined to use said opportunity to train. Anxious about being caught, she had stealthily snuck into the supply room to grab a bottle of ink, after which she proceeded discretely to her room, leading to her current predicament.

The object of her piercing gaze stood in unperturbed indifference to her ministrations. Challenging, mocking, the blank landscape seemed to assault her very being. _You can't do this; this isn't your realm. You don't belong here_. Growing increasingly angry, the feline master brought her brush to the canvas, making gentle, soaring strokes.

The alabaster wilderness began to give way to a new world, life from the harsh void that so recently charged her as incapable. Trees sprang from the ground, growth accelerated by the fertile waters of a mind at work. Houses erected themselves, providing shelter for the father and daughter that aimlessly strolled around their village, hand in hand. Finally, existence taken from absence, creation wrested from nothingness, Tigress surveyed the work of her hands. It was an admirable picture, one that even Crane might have wrought. Suddenly, the feline master pursed her lips in anger, a growl tugging at the back of her throat.

"Too small..."


	2. River

**So... I'm back again, and fairly quickly this time. It is more likely to be a little while before I post again this time, as I'm having maxillofacial surgery tomorrow (I have to have my wisdom teeth pulled...). Regardless, I did manage to slip in another story in my free time. This was originally meant to be a quirky, humorous drabble, one of roughly the same length as "Small", but as you can see it didn't turn out that way. I was in the process of writing this, and suddenly entered that state in which the story seems to write itself. The words flowed from my keyboard seemingly of their own accord, leading to the one shot you see now. I did manage to add in a decent amount of humor. And don't fear; there is no angst, at least not as in my last two one shots. I've tortured Tigress enough for a story or two...**

**Anyway, in light of the length of this drabble-turned-one shot, I'm changing the title of this story from "Various drabbles" to "Stories and Drabbles". I may or may not change this later; I don't really care for the title I just came up with...**

**On another note, I'm undecided on whether to post the rest of my one shots on this thread/story or post them as stand alone stories. I kind of like having them all together, like FFCrazy's one shot collection, but I also like them as stand alone stories. Please give me some feed back on this... I would greatly appreciate it...**

**Also, please tell me if this is actually appearing on the page listing all the stories. For some reason I can't find it there. If it isn't, then I'll either try to repost this whole collection (well, all two...) or post them separately. **

**Anyway, on to the story...**

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><p>The day was serene and humming with life as Po made his way through the meandering courtyards of the Jade Palace. Shifu, for reasons he kept to himself, had departed earlier that day on a solitary mission, and had for once given his students the day off. After breakfast, the delighted panda had quickly begun to make his way to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom; it being spring, the tree was blooming, giving off a 'heavenly' aroma. Po wasn't one for meditation, at least in the traditional, hardcore sense, although as a panda he enjoyed to sit down and enjoy life every now and then. With a portion of monkey's coveted stash of almond cookies in paw, the Dragon Warrior was set to enjoy his day off.<p>

As he made his way to the tree, however, he heard a faint, semi-repetitive splashing. From the light, almost ethereal quality of the sound, Po knew it was coming from far off, perhaps even at the foot of the mountain. Having been training with Shifu on his hearing for a while now, the panda decided to investigate the noise.

As it turned out, the sound _had_ been coming from afar – the very bottom of the mountain. With breath labored, Po was finally drawing close to its source; it was clear that whatever was causing the splashing was at the river. The panda knew that, it being the early days of spring, the carp were running. Carp, however, don't usually make such a commotion, particularly one as mechanical and repetitive as this. Curiosity overcoming his exhaustion, Po pulled back the branch of a small tree to reveal a diminutive but defined orange tiger knee deep in the river, staring intently at the water with a raised paw. It took a few moments for Po to recognize the red vest the tiger was wearing. He watched in surprise as the female tiger brought her paw down on the water, creating the splashing noise he had earlier heard. Curiosity over came his instinct for self preservation, and he stepped out of the bushes

"Tigress? What are you doing here?" Tigress, shocked out of her single minded pursuit, looked up at the voluminous warrior with utter surprise. She had made sure no one had followed her; how did the panda manage what the gossip-hungry insect couldn't?

Embarrassed, Tigress addressed Po in a brusque manner. "What do you think, Po?" She grew increasingly more irritated as the Dragon Warrior stared at her with a nonplused visage.

"I don't know? Smacking the water?"

The tiger master brought a paw up to her forehead in exasperation. "Po, what species am I?"

"You're a tiger, right?"

"Yes. And what do tigers eat?"

"I don't know... Tofu?" Tigress had to fight back the instinctual urge to bare her fangs. _Is he toying with me?_

"No. Tigers are carnivores, correct?"

"Yes..." Po's eyes went wide as the realization struck him. "So you're... fishing?"

Tigress sighed, all her anger draining away at Po's veracious surprise. "Yes, Po, I'm fishing." The tiger master began to make her way back to the bank, feeling slightly guilty about her recent choler. As she stepped out of the river, she pulled the rope containing her catch onto the sandy bank: four carp and a catfish, a good haul for one day. Po laughed nervously; apparently he hadn't entirely missed the irritation that had laced her earlier words.

"So... do you want some help carrying all that?" asked the panda.

"I can manage it, Dragon Warrior."

"Oh... That's cool. I knew you could handle it." said Po, somewhat dejectedly. He followed the now fish laden tiger back up the mountain. "So... fish. Why fish? I've never seen you eating fish before. Ever."

Tigress sighed once again. She had been quite anxious to avoid this conversation. "I'm a tiger. I have to eat meat, Po."

"I've never seen you eat meat before..." said the increasingly apprehensive panda. "Don't you usually stick to tofu or something?"

Tigress was quite uneasy, almost fearful, about this matter. She had hoped it would never come up. Pausing mid step, she turned to face him, waiting a moment before speaking. The words didn't come easily. "I try to resist, but sometimes the urge to eat fresh meat is overwhelming." The icy rush of adrenaline greeted her as she prepared to continue. She was treading on unfamiliar ground. What would he think of her, a predator, a monster that stalks the night. For not the first time in her life Tigress sincerely wished she had been born a different species.

Feeling lightheaded and slightly dizzy from the adrenaline rush, she continued. "Tofu provides protein, but it does nothing to curb my cravings. I'm afraid that one day I'll snap and lose control..." The feline master began to stare vacantly at the ground, a distinct horror painting itself in her mind. "What would the village think? Even now they fear me." Of course she knew. They clap and cheer, of course, when ever she and the five return from a mission. They have festivals and parades in their honor. She never failed to notice, however, the glint of uneasiness in their eyes as she walked past, the specter of terror. They always hushed their conversation as she went by. Even their children edged away when she approached. Pain, and perhaps even fear began to claw its way into her visage as she ruminated on the matter. Alien, unsettling, Tigress began to be overwhelmed by her thoughts. She fought back in the only way she knew how. "They don't accept me, and never will. What would they do if they discovered I was eating animals?" said the tiger master, the edge of anger reappearing in her speech. "They tolerate me because I help them, but they would never trust me..."

A grim, malicious reticence settled on the pair. Tigress grew increasingly dizzy as the gap widened, horror overtaking her as she began to consider what the panda may be thinking. _I went too far. _She hadn't told anyone of her secret fear, save Master Shifu. _Don't run._ Fear drove the feline to action. "I apologize, Dragon Warrior. I spoke out of turn."

Silence. The icy claw of fear drove further into her heart.

Suddenly, Po spoke. "No."

Tigress looked up at the panda with a surprised, almost incredulous expression. "What?"

"No." stated the panda, a bit more forcefully. "You're wrong. The village adores you, Tigress. Who else could have stopped the Liu Khan brothers at Baldor mountain? Who else could have saved the emperor's daughter from the ten demons of Yixing pass? Who could possibly be as bodaciously awesome as you? No one."

A half opened peach blossom drifted in between the two warriors, prematurely shaken from its home. Po grabbed the blossom and continued. "I see how people edge away as you walk by, and I know you do too. But you always miss how they thank you under their breath, how they hang posters of you on their wall and name new foods and buildings after you. You walk by so quickly you never notice the kids playing war and fighting over who gets to be Master Tigress." Tigress suddenly looked up at Po.

"The village loves you, Tigress. You just have to slow down and look." Po blew gently on the peach blossom, causing it to open up. He stood in front of Tigress, a contented grin stretched across his face; he couldn't believe he just did that.

Tigress stared at the panda for a few moments, utterly shocked. A hint of peace began to permeate her consciousness. She didn't quite know what to make of Po's words yet, or if she was ready to accept them, but she felt better knowing that all isn't lost, that there's a different way to view things. Perhaps there was hope. Another thought suddenly hit her: _when did Po grow so wise?_

The panda in question noticed the change in her expression, chuckling slightly at her surprise. "Hey, you and Shifu aren't the only ones who read Oogway's scrolls." Po was even more shocked than Tigress, however, to see a slight grin split the feline master's face.

"Let's go. You can help me get these fish back to the palace." said the female tiger, handing Po a stringer of carp. Po excitedly grabbed the rope, following closely behind the feline.

After a few moments, he addressed Tigress. "Almond cookie?"

She sighed, but grabbed a cookie none the less. "Thanks, Po."


	3. Unexpected

**So... I'm back. Again, I honestly didn't expect to update this soon. Oh well. I'm sure you don't mind...**

**Anyway, I have to say that I'm unsure about the quality of this one. I wrote it quite late in the evening. In fact, it is almost 12:30 right now. Regardless, it was quite fun to write, so I hope it isn't terrible. You never really know, though...**

**On an unrelated note, I hope to start a long, multi-chapter story soon. I have a coupe concepts I've been meaning to explore recently, and have decided to finally follow one. So if you see a new story posted by me soon, you should check it out...**

**Also, please let me know if these updates are making it onto the site or not; for some reason I am having trouble confirming this.**

**Anyway, on to the story...**

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><p>Po was slowly walking to the bath house, lethargically dragging the dead weight that was his limbs. It was mid afternoon at the Jade Palace, and the Valley of Peace was into the dog days of summer. For most of the year, the residents of the valley enjoyed a moderately temperate climate, but as is the wont of such regions, at least once a year they experience a heat wave. This year was no exception.<p>

The panda soon arrived at his destination, prepared to enjoy an hour of cool solitude. Shifu, in light of the torrid weather, had let his students out of training early. Po's eyes adjusted to the relative twilight of the bathhouse. It wasn't necessarily dark inside; the unrelenting gaze of a merciless sun made any room dark by comparison. Further, the ubiquitous mass of steam that hung in the facility diurnally hampered vision even on a good day. The heavy wooden walls of the room didn't help, either. In reality, the bathhouse was nothing more than a frame built around a preexisting pool of water, fed by an underground spring. Entering the facility, he trudged to the far end of the room, took off his pants, and lowered himself into the water.

Po could sense the stress of the day dissipating away from him, seemingly diffusing into the water. Of course, the water was warm, and as such wouldn't exactly be the best place to cool off. Po, however, was far beyond the point of caring. He sank deeper into the water, until he was barely visible. Half-heartedly reflecting upon the day's events, he began to drift into the soft embrace of sleep...

Suddenly, he heard a light splash on the other end of the bathhouse. Rousing from his reverie, Po noticed that light was no longer shining directly into the bathhouse. The groggy panda was perplexed for a few moments; when had the sun moved? _I guess I fell asleep... _mused the Dragon Warrior, beginning to rise slightly in the water. Suddenly, the slim outline of a tiger moved into his field of view.

Po almost inhaled a mouthful of water. Discreetly, although quickly, he slipped back under the water, leaving just his nose and a wide set of eyes exposed. The panda was wide awake now; he still had much to live for. He stared in muted fear as Tigress lowered herself into the water, sighing slightly. Po sat absolutely still, a monochrome statue stranded in what had become the eighth of the seven deadly seas. The panda dared not move, lest he awaken the wrath of what would be a very upset tiger, so he watched... and waited...

Soon he heard Tigress's breathing slow to a gentle, relaxed rhythm, a sure sign the feline master was asleep. Po, with the utmost care, began to rise from the pool, eyes never leaving those of the sleeping tiger. So far, he was still alive, and intended to keep it that way. Eventually, he was standing erect in the water, and began to step out onto the floor.

Seeing his apparent success, he began to move at an increased pace. As it turned out, this wasn't the best of actions; the floor, unbeknownst to him, was rather slippery. The second he put his weight on the now terrestrial foot, it slipped. Flailing wildly in a panicked effort to avoid falling, Po managed to avoid plummeting into the water. His fur being wet, however, he couldn't avoid spraying droplets of water everywhere. A few tense moments passed as Po began to formulate a way to write a short will using his paw an an old board. As time went by, however, it seemed that the female tiger was still asleep. Po sighed in relief.

Suddenly, Tigress's eyes shot wide open. Her mouth hung agape as the two glowing embers fixated themselves on the large panda.

"Po?" For a moment, both warriors stared at each other in shock, neither able to speak. Snapping out it, Po realized he was now truly in mortal danger. He did the only logical thing.

He ran.


End file.
